


I Guess This Is Growing Up

by Quartzpeach



Category: It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
Genre: Asexual Charlie Kelly, Bottom Dennis Reynolds, Eventual Smut, Everyone Is Gay, Family, Lesbian Dee Reynolds, M/M, Minor Character Death, Parenthood, Romance, Slow Burn, THERE’S ONLY ONE BED
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:08:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23049826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quartzpeach/pseuds/Quartzpeach
Summary: Mandy dies, so Brian Jr comes to live with Mac and Dennis. Dennis doesn’t know how to be a dad, Mac doesn’t know how to help without totally overstepping his boundaries, and in-between them is all the things they do not talk about.
Relationships: Mac McDonald/Dennis Reynolds
Comments: 1
Kudos: 41





	I Guess This Is Growing Up

**Author's Note:**

> Second ever fic, going to attempt a slow burn and try to update somewhat consistently (pray for me). Feedback is always welcome and appreciated!  
> Tinfoil hatting it that Rob and Glenn make Mac/Den endgame.

The sports bar scheme, it turned out, was a bad idea. Dee had suggested it, so they should’ve known better in the first place. But then Frank had latched on and with him Charlie, and then Mac had followed, and what was Dennis to do but let himself be swept along? It was supposed to be simple: set up a couple Flatscreens, advertise that they’d be playing the Phillies games with a four-dollar beer special, and watch the dough roll in. Except Charlie only got one TV -and it wasn’t a flatscreen - and Frank had advertised a Flyers game by mistake. So now the bar was filled with pissed off Hockey fans (Hockey fans are twice as angry as your average baseball fan), who were not pleased with the small box of a TV Charlie had jammed in the corner, and the four-dollar beer stock was getting dangerously low. 

“Dee hurry the fuck up and get these drinks to table six before they start smashing things!” Dennis shouted, while pouring a line of shots for a man in front of him wearing a disgustingly orange Gritty hat. 

Dee whirled her head around, “I’m going as fast as I can, get Charlie to do it.” 

Dennis grits his teeth, “Charlie is busy doing actual fucking work-“ 

He’s interrupted by the electronic jingle of his phone, and while normally he wouldn’t give a shit about whoever’s calling, the display clearly shows a North Dakota area code.

“God fucking dammit” Dennis mutters, slamming the phone to his ear. “What?” 

A man chooses that moment to come lumbering up to the bar, and slides a fiver across it. “Gimme another. Cold one this time.” 

Dennis is bent over, solely focused on the tinny voice in his ear, and holds up one hand in a ‘give-me-a-minute’ gesture.

The man is not pleased, “Git off yer damn phone!” He growls, “this is bullshit, I’m a paying customer!” He slams his meaty fist on the counter, causing several glasses to rattle.

“That’s enough.” Mac has appeared and starts to haul the man away by his arm. “Calm down buddy.” 

The man is not happy and yanks his arm out of Mac’s grip. “This is the worst goddamn bar I’ve ever been to! This is an outrage! I’m never coming back here again! Unbeliev-“

“Shut. The. Fuck. UP.” Dennis shrieks from the bar, “you want a beer?” He grabs a bottle from under the counter and throws it, narrowly missing the man’s head, “Here’s your fucking beer!” He immediately returns to his phone call, jamming the phone to his ear. 

The man snarls and steps forward, clenching his fists, but he doesn’t get more than two steps towards the bar before he’s yanked back once again by Mac.

“What the-“

“Stop it,” Mac gives the man a firm look, and jerks his thumb towards the door. “You’re out of here.” If there’s one thing working out seriously and not just focusing on his glamour muscles has done, it’s made Mac a somewhat effective bouncer. 

The man starts to argue but Mac is already dragging him towards the door, he shoots a concerned look at Dennis over his shoulder. Dennis looks like shit, his face sheet-white. His phone is no longer against his ear so Mac guesses he’s finished his call.

He’s anxious to find out what’s gotten Dennis so upset, so he quickly finishes kicking the man out and rushes back to the bar. Dennis looks like he’s on the verge of a panic attack, and Mac feels concern twisting in his gut. “Den?.” He asks softly, “Are you okay?”

Dennis shakes his head, his face twisted into a horrible grimace. Ignoring Mac, he turns and addresses the bar directly, “Get out!” He yells, “Everyone out!” 

A woman in an orange and black jersey turns, her face twisted in confusion, “but the game isn’t even over yet.”

Dennis is shaking. With a sweep of his arm, he flings all the glasses off the bar. They smash magnificently, spreading foul-smelling alcohol and shards of glass across the floor. “GET OUT.” Dennis shrieks. “GET THE FUCK OUT! RIGHT NOW! OUT!” 

No one says anything, Dee and Charlie stare at Dennis like he just grew six heads. 

Mac’s the one who breaks the silence, “you heard him everyone, get out. We’re closed.” His voice is firm and authoritative, and combined with his steely gaze and a flex of his muscles, the patrons begin angrily filing out. 

Frank tries to do some damage control, promising a free drink on the house to anyone who might come back in the future, but it’s obviously a loss. He whirls around, stalking toward the bar with purpose.

“What the fuck was that about?” He yells, “Do you know how much I sank into this scheme!?” Frank shakes a fat finger in Dennis’s face, “The shit you just pulled..someone better have died for you to freak out like that. I swear.”

Dennis looks up at Frank and something awful spreads across his face, “I must be in luck then, Frank,” he leans towards the larger man, looking directly into his ugly, muddy eyes, “Mandy fucking died. She got hit by a drunk driver. She’s DEAD.” 

Frank looks unfazed, and shrugs, “So? Who the fuck is this Mandy broad anyways? I ain’t never met her.”

Dennis closes his eyes in frustration, and throws his hands in the air, “The MOTHER of my goddamn CHILD!” He roars. Then he shakes his head, stepping back, “You know what? Fuck this, and fuck you.” He reaches down in one swift movement to swipe a bottle of whisky from under the bar, and storms off.

Dee is the first to break the silence that follows.

“Well... shit.” 

______

Mac’s been walking on eggshells all week.

Since getting the news about Mandy, Dennis has been quiet and moody, spending most of his time in his room on his phone. Mac pressed his ear to the keyhole once and heard a few words about, “arrangements,” and “what’s best,” and “ashes,” before his stomach twisted unpleasantly and he had to turn away. He hates not knowing what to do, hates that he can’t fix this. He barely knows a thing about Mandy or her relationship with Dennis, the topic of North Dakota is one thats strictly off-limits. He and Dennis dance around Dennis’s year long absence, carefully never mentioning Brian Junior or the unanswered texts or the drunk voicemails; _especially_ not mentioning the one where Mac quietly said, “I need you,” in a voice thick with tears. 

Mac doesn’t know how to fix this, so he does what he can. He cleans the house, and does their laundry, he slices apples, and makes tea. He even calls the pharmacy to refill a long-ignored prescription in the hope that Dennis might actually take it (he doesn’t). 

Mac spends the whole week anxiously orbiting Dennis, until finally one morning, Dennis comes out of his room and sits across from Mac at the table of his own volition; clearing his throat. 

“Brian Junior is coming to live with us.” Dennis states, “His grandparents are too old to take him and I’m not about to let my kid get molested in some sketchy foster home.” 

“Oh.” Mac takes a sip of his coffee, swallows, “okay.” 

“Okay.” Dennis says in agreement, standing up from the table to pour a cup of coffee for himself. “He’ll be here on Monday.”

It’s only after Dennis has gone back into his room, door closing with a click, that Mac realizes he should’ve asked where the hell the kid is going to sleep.


End file.
